


Not All Genuises Are Smart

by Stetchkags99



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, protective oikawa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-01-18 14:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12390060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stetchkags99/pseuds/Stetchkags99
Summary: Oikawa needs money and Kageyama needs a tutor.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu  
> Also warning: child abuse
> 
> Tbh not really sure what I'm doing or where this is going but here it is

Oikawa knows this is a bad idea. Hell, anyone that knows anything about him would know this is the worst idea in the entire world. Yet, here he is, walking straight towards hell.

As a university student who's taking a year off, Oikawa needs money. He coaches volleyball to children at a rec centre near his apartment, but that's mostly on weekends. He's been searching for a second job, with no success. "Because no one wants to hire such a shitty guy," Iwa-chan is fond of reminding him.

So, when Oikawa sees an ad for a tutoring position, he jumps at the opportunity. He knows he can wow any parent with his high grades from high school and his natural charm. But when he sees who put up the ad, he nearly chokes. _Absolutely not. Never. Not in a million years. I'd rather die._

"Stop being a baby. You need money, so shut up and do it, Shittykawa! Maybe you can learn some maturity." Oikawa can hear Iwa-chan's voice in his head. "Just don't be your usual asshole self. Be nice, or I'll punch you so hard, you'll cry for a week!"

It's alarming how Iwa-chan can be hundreds of kilometres away and still manage to yell at him. Oikawa cringes, imagining one of Iwa-chan's punches to the stomach. He'd rather never feel that again. He swallows his stubbornness and replies to the add.

A week later, he's walking towards his least favourite person's house. _Or is Ushiwaka my least favourite person?_ Pushing that thought away, he tries to think about the money. _I can buy milk bread with the money I make! That'll make it worth dealing with that stupid king! And maybe I can make fun of him while I'm teaching him!_ He just won't tell Iwa-chan anything.

Oikawa finds himself standing at the front door of a small grey house. He knocks, dread pooling in his stomach. A raven-haired woman wearing a business suit answers the door.

"You must be Oikawa-kun! Thank you so much for coming!"

Oikawa turns on his natural charm. "Yes, nice to meet you, Kageyama-san." He smiles.

"Please come in!" she invites him in before yelling, "Tobio, come here please!"

Oikawa watches as his most hated (or second most hated) rival walks down the stairs. He's wearing his gym clothes and carrying a volleyball. _Typical Tobio-chan._

"Tobio, this is your new tutor. Please take this opportunity to learn from him."

Tobio looks up and notices Oikawa. Once the initial look of surprise crosses his face, his expression darkens.

"Absolutely not."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol hey friends! I still have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm stuck in the depths of oikage hell (tbh wouldn't want to be anywhere else), so here's another chapter. Also sorry if it's ooc or anything

Oikawa stands there, watching Kageyama's face. He won't deny it; he's kind of enjoying the reaction he's getting. Completely ignoring Iwa-chan's orders to be nice, he decides to provoke his kouhai.

"Hey Tobio-chan! Long time no see! How is the king and his loyal subjects? Are they still following you? I heard your grades aren't very good. Luckily for you, I've kindly offered my humble services to his Royal Highness! Aren't you so excited to be tutored by your wonderfully amazing senpai?" he singsongs, flashing his most brilliant fake smile.

Oikawa can feel the intensity of Kageyama's state cut through him. The young setter turns around and starts back up the stairs.

"Tobio!" Kageyama-san's voice is suddenly icy and sharp.

Oikawa is startled by the change in tone. Kageyama instantly stiffens and stops.

"Please come down and greet your guest politely and then go up to your room and use this time to improve your grades."

Her icy-cool demeanour is in sharp contrast to Tobio's hot anger. After a few tense seconds of staring, Kageyama drops his gaze and sulks back down the stairs. He stares at his feet.

"Hello Oikawa-san. Thank you for coming. Please come in." he mumbles.

Oikawa can tell that Tobio is still mad, but his aura is changed from the outright anger he saw a few seconds ago. _Weird. It's like Kageyama's being submissive._ Oikawa is a bit thrown off by that. The lingering tension is also uncomfortable. That needs to change.

"Ok Tobio-chan! Let's go upstairs and I will share all of my wonderful knowledge with you!" He fakes cheerfulness in an attempt to break up the weird mood.

"Good. Thank you so much for coming Oikawa-san! I have to leave now. Please make yourself at home. I know Tobio can be hard to handle, so please let me know if you need anything."

Her cheerfulness is back. This time, Oikawa can see something darker, beneath the friendliness. Saving that info for later, he smiles and nods before following Tobio-chan up to his room.

Oikawa isn't sure what he thought Kageyama's room would look like, but he can't say he's surprised. There's a complete lack of personality. It's almost kind of sad. No posters on the wall, no pictures, no art. There's a bed, a desk, and a closet. A few volleyballs are scattered on the floor, along with a few sets of dumbbells. Oikawa notices a calendar on the wall, marked mostly with important dates for volleyball and a few deadlines for assignments and exams. A sheet of paper with a training schedule is taped on the opposite wall.

Kageyama moves to his desk, clearing off the volleyball magazines and DVDs. He pulls out a stack of paper and his pencil case from his backpack. He looks at Oikawa expectantly.

"Ok! What does my stupid kouhai need help with today?"

"Math. I just need to find the worksheet we have to finish."

Kageyama digs through his pile of papers.

"Tobio-chan, what is that? No wonder you're so bad at school! You have no organization!" Oikawa opens his backpack, pulling out his binders and notebooks. "See? This is how super smart people organize their schoolwork. Obviously you can't be as good as me, but you should at least try to sort out this mess!"

Oikawa grabs Kageyama's papers, sorting them into piles, talking the whole time, and throwing in occasional insults. He can tell Kageyama is annoyed, but is also trying to follow what he's saying. That's what he's getting paid to do right? Teach Kageyama how to be better at school. No one said he couldn't torment his least-favourite kouhai in the process. _Well except Iwa-chan_ , his brain helpfully supplies. _But he's not here, so it's fine!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! I'm back! Really not sure where this is going but I figure if I keep writing, eventually it'll lead to oikage

"And then, Iwa-chan you would not believe it! He didn't even know kanji we learnt in middle school! He's so stupid! And he couldn't even solve math problems from Grade 9! I hate him! The only thing he knows about the world wars is that they happened on Earth! People need to stop calling such a dumb person a genius. He's not a genius. He's the dumbest person in the world. How is such a well-learned and incredibly knowledgeable individual, such as myself, supposed to teach this imbecile?"

"Well that's what Kageyama's mom is paying you for, so you better figure it out. And you might wanna start by being a little more mature and letting go of your petty middle school rivalry." Iwaizumi replies, annoyed that Oikawa has been complaining about Kageyama for at least twenty minutes now.

"It's not petty! Iwa-chan, he's out to ruin my life! He's so annoying. I hate him. Also speaking of Tobio-chan's mom, she's kinda scary. I mean like she's really nice, but then she has this look and it's like an ice cube is staring at you. I don't wanna be on her bad side!" he whines, before gasping suddenly, "What if she gets mad at me because Tobio's too stupid to learn? Do you think she'd be mad if I just told her that Tobio's a lost cause and she should stop wasting her money on tutors that won't help? But then I wouldn't be getting paid. But also then I wouldn't have to see stupid Tobio anymore. Do you think the volleyball centre would give me a raise? Or what if-"

Iwaizumi sighs. "Do you ever stop talking? You do this every time you see him. You need to grow up! Be a senpai for Kageyama for once."

"But Iwa-chan-"

"Stop whining! Anyways, how's your knee? You'd better not be overworking it!"

"It's good! I'll be ready to come back next season! Just in time to crush that stupid Tobio-chan if he even gets on a university team!"

"Seriously, you're such a shitty guy. Just don't screw it up, or else Kageyama might be taking your spot!"

"HAHA very funny Iwa-chan! Like that would ever happen!" Oikawa rambles on, trying to ignore his thoughts, but the seed of doubt and anxiety has already been planted.

_It has happened before. And it could happen again. He almost caught me two years ago. And now I'm losing a year._

 

———————————————————

The next morning, Oikawa finds himself at the volleyball gym. He had already gone twice this week, on top of the classes he taught on the weekend and Monday night. He just recently was cleared to practice again, and he's trying not to overdo it. Yet, here he is, practicing, pushing the limit of his healing knee. He can feel the familiar anxiety bubbling in the pit of his stomach. _I'm falling behind. I'm going to lose. I need to work harder._ Those old insecurities from middle school haven't plagued him since high school.

"Damn it, stupid Tobio-chan! This is why I hate you," he mutters in between serves.

He wants nothing more than to destroy his kouhai in university volleyball. He still feels the sting of losing to Karasuno in his last year of high school. But with this injury setting him back a year, he's starting to worry that might be impossible. _Who wants an injured setter like me, when you can get the genius setter with pinpoint accuracy?_

Oikawa had finally come to terms with his injury, when Kageyama snaked right back into his life, bringing those insecurities back to life. _Well I guess now I can research dear Tobio-chan up close and see what really makes him tick. And use it against him! I'll dethrone that entitled king, once and for all!_

———————————————————

The next day, Oikawa prepares for his next session with Kageyama. He makes a lesson plan, knowing they're going to have to review basic concepts. Oikawa isn't sure how the genius setter passed Grade 11. _Well at least he'll never catch me intellectually._ He pushes the thought of volleyball out of his mind. The petty part of his brain hangs on though, making a plan to ruin Tobio's volleyball career.

When he knocks on the door, it's Kageyama who answers, anger flashing across his face. It's clear that he hates this as much as Oikawa does.

"Hey Tobio-chan! Ready to learn?" He oozes that fake cheerfulness that Iwa-chan hates so much.

He gets a glare in response.

Once again, Oikawa finds himself in Kageyama's bleak room. The younger setter pulls out his notebooks.

"You know Tobio-chan, if you don't get good grades in high school, universities won't pick you, so you won't be able to play volleyball in university. And then you won't be able to play against your amazing senpai!"

Kageyama grumbles inaudibly and flips open a textbook before replying, "Well then help me learn." He shoves the book into Oikawa's lap.

Oikawa looks at the page. Basic biology. He snorts in disbelief. "You can't even figure this out? Forget university, you won't get your high school diploma!"

Oikawa can feel the anger radiating off of his kouhai. He decides to tone down his mocking. If he's going to be here for an hour, he may as well get something done first, and then get Kageyama riled up right before he leaves.

He starts off by walking Tobio through the steps of photosynthesis. What started off as a lot of frustration and confusion from Tobio, followed by insults and teasing from Oikawa, somehow turns into something productive. There's still tension between the two, but it gradually becomes more competitive than spiteful. Kageyama starts understanding basic concepts, prompting Oikawa to lay off the insults.

When something clicks for Kageyama or when he gets something right, Oikawa can see his eyes light up and his scowl softens into a small smile. _Cute_. Somewhere deep inside of the older setter, he feels proud of his kouhai. _WAIT! Back the fuck up! Cute? Where did that thought come from? Tobio-chan is not cute! No way! And I'm not proud of him! I'm proud of me for teaching the unteachable!_

A ringtone cuts through Oikawa's thoughts of denial. Startled, Oikawa trails off, mid explanation. They both glance at Kageyama's phone. His mom's calling. It's also 9:04. Oikawa's been there for an hour and four minutes. _Too long. I've been here way to long. That's why I'm thinking weird thoughts. Time for some fun!_

Kageyama reaches for his phone, but Oikawa gets there first. He springs up, holding the phone above his head, too high for the younger setter ( _who's still not as tall as me!_ ) to reach.

"Haha Tobio-chan! You might think you're good at setting, but I'm still taller than you!"

"Oikawa-san, can I please have my phone?"

"Nope! No way, dumb kouhai! Not unless you go downstairs and get a soda for your wonderful senpai!"

"Oikawa-san, please. I need to answer it!" Kageyama's voice takes on a pleading, almost whiny tone.

"What? Do you miss your mommy? Well too bad! No soda, no phone."

By now, it was on the third ring. Panic crept into Kageyama's eyes.

"Oikawa-san!" The desperate shout was accompanied by futile attempts to grab the phone.

Kageyama was breathing heavily, staring fearfully at the now silent cellphone. Oikawa lowered his arm, and Kageyama snatched the phone away, immediately dialling.

"Hello."

Oikawa couldn't understand the other side of the conversation, but he could certainly hear yelling from the other end. Tobio's voice got quieter as the yelling got louder.

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

"Ok."

"Ok."

Oikawa packs this things into his backpack, not wanting to look like he's trying to listen in on the phone call. Kageyama ends his phone call, looking worried. Oikawa wonders what his mom was so mad about.

"Everything alright?" He asks, not because he's concerned about his kouhai or anything.

Kageyama nods, his fists clenched tightly. He fidgets, looking anywhere but at Oikawa. Not wanting to look like he cares, Oikawa doesn't push. Instead he pretends that Tobio is fine and stands up to leave. As he reaches for the door, he hears a small voice.

"Thank you for coming, Oikawa-san."

He turns around. Tobio's eyes are downcast, and he's still awkwardly fidgeting with his pencil. The scowl is gone, replaced with worry, making his look younger. He decides to return the peace offering.

"No problem, Tobio-chan."

The whole walk home, Oikawa cannot figure out why there's worry pooling in his stomach, anxiously waiting for the next time he sees his most hated kouhai, to make sure he's alright.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: ya I'll finish the next chapter soon  
> Also me: binge watches himym, gets lost in the mcu fandom, comes back 4 months later with some questionable writing
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!

Kageyama lays on his bed, tossing to himself. The afternoon with Oikawa wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He actually understood a couple concepts, and Oikawa wasn't a complete asshole. Until he was. Kageyama flushes in anger again. _Why can't Oikawa be nice for more than two seconds?_

His stomach twists when he thinks about how angry his mom was. _It's ok. I have a few days before she gets back._

He catches the volleyball, sets it down, and picks up a textbook. Three pages later, he falls asleep.  
———————————————————

Kageyama wakes up when his stomach growls painfully. He tries to remember the last time he ate. _Yesterday. At breakfast?_ He stumbles down the stairs, glancing at his phone.

The fridge is empty, the cupboards are almost bare. There's a box of granola bars, a few bananas, and half a box of noodles. Kageyama grabs a granola bar and a banana. If he's smart, he can make this bit of food last until his mom gets home. Assuming she's back in two or three days. Besides, he still has his milk money.

He throws the granola bar in his bag and opens the banana. He'll be fine.

———————————————————

Four days later, Oikawa is back, ready to tutor. He prays it won't be awkward after whatever happened at their last session. He's still a little confused why Tobio got all quiet and weird. For a second, he had almost been...worried? _No. Just freaked out cause Tobio-chan is so weird._

Tobio answers the door, his usual scowl on his face. He looks perfectly fine, and Oikawa lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Hey Tobio-chan! How are you? Are you ready to be taught by your wise senpai?" He babbles, not letting the younger boy have the chance to say anything. Or make it awkward.

Oikawa takes a breath, and his incessant chatter cuts off, leaving silence. _Don't make it awkward. Don't make it awkward. Please please please._ Luckily, Tobio says nothing about last time, only grumbling something about math homework.

Almost instantly, they fit back into the working rhythm they found last time. Oikawa is a bit surprised how easy it is to interact with Tobio when they're not at each other's throats.

An hour in, Tobio is struggling to stay focused. Oikawa bristles. _Am I that boring?_

He's in the middle of explaining something about exponential functions, when Tobio slumps. He leans to the side, falling off his chair.

"Tobio-chan! What the fuck! Am I that boring?" Oikawa yells, offended.

He leans over and shakes him. No response. Another more aggressive shake. And another.

Oikawa can feel his pulse racing. For some reason it's hard to breath. His hands shake as he reaches to give Tobio another shake. _I'm not worried about Tobio. If he dies, my career would be way less stressful. I'm worried for myself. I don't wanna be blamed for his murder. I hate Tobio._ But even Oikawa knows he's protesting too much.

"Oh shit. What do I do? Tobio? Tobio!"

Tobio, helpful as ever, doesn't move, doesn't make a sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terribly sorry for the short chapter and the cliffhanger. I'm terrible lol


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like this is a really short chapter but at least it's not four months late! Thanks to all my faithful readers! I hope you like it!

Oikawa is bent over Kageyama's still form, still shaking him. _Oh my god I've killed him. What do I do? I'm going to be arrested for murdering my biggest rival! Oh god!_ For a second, he contemplates cleaning up all the evidence that he was there and wait for Kageyama's mom to find his body. _Unless Kageyama over exerted his brain. He's not used to thinking so much. Maybe his brain got too tired, and it gave up. Yes! That's obviously what happened. The only explanation—_

Oikawa hears a shift in Kageyama's breathing. He leans in closer to Tobio's face. Peering down, silently willing him to wake up. Staring, as confused blue eyes open, millimetres from his own eyes.

———————————————————

Kageyama is having the weirdest dream. Oikawa is serving his insane serves at him. Only the volleyballs are math formulas. He tries to receive them, but his body feels so slow. His senpai laughs. The next serve hits him, knocking him over.

"Oh shit!" Oikawa screams at him. "Tobio! Tobio!"

He's so loud. Why is Oikawa always so loud?

"Kageyama Tobio!"

The ground shakes. An earthquake. He opens his eyes to find a safe spot to weather the earthquake and—

Looks up to find Oikawa, staring into him, their noses almost touching. Slowly, Kageyama comes back to his senses. Oikawa's hands press his shoulders into the floor beneath him. The older boy is straddled over him. He's breathing hard, looking...concerned? Kageyama stares at him in confusion.

They stay frozen for a few seconds, staring at each other. Oikawa suddenly becomes aware of what he's doing, ripping himself away, creating distance.

"Oikawa-san?" Kageyama's voice sounds weird, far away, distant. His mouth struggles to say the words.

"What the hell Tobio-chan? Why the hell did you do that? What's wrong with you?" Oikawa holds out a finger, cutting of the confused younger boy before he can spit out a word. "Nuh-uh Tobio-chan! I'm not done! You can't just faint on me like that! I coulda been charged with murder! Do you think a pretty face like this one would last long in prison?"

"Sorry," Tobio mumbles, glancing away.

Oikawa, still frazzled, but not as angry asks, "What happened? Are you ok?"

"I'm sorry, Oikawa-san. I think I might be hungry."

"Gosh Tobio-chan! So young and irresponsible! Eating is so important for a growing boy!" Oikawa says, as he herds Tobio down the stairs to the kitchen. "You shoulda told me you were hungry. You need to grow up strong and healthy so I can crush you in university volleyball."

Oikawa opens the fridge. Options are slim; a few jars of condiments and a couple apples are the only things in the otherwise empty fridge. The cupboards yield a few granola bars.

"Tobio-chan, what the hell is this?" Oikawa gestures to the empty shelves. "Doesn't your family buy groceries ever?"

Tobio shuffles awkwardly, bowing his head. "My mom's away. I ran out of grocery money."

Oikawa's alarmed. Who doesn't leave their kid with enough money for groceries? Whenever his mom leaves, she gives him enough money to buy food for twice as long as she's away. It's excessive, but suddenly Oikawa is grateful. Another question comes to mind.

"What have you eaten today?" he asks. "No wait, have you eaten?"

"Yes. I had a granola bar and a milk box."

"Outrageous, Tobio-chan! Come, come! I'll show you what a real meal is!" Oikawa grabs Tobio and their jackets, and drags his out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I'm back again with another chapter! Go me!  
> Anyway, I hope you like it and hopefully I won't take too long with the next chapter.

Oikawa guides Tobio, who's still a bit out of it, into his favourite restaurant. He ushers the confused boy into a booth before sitting opposite of him.

"Alright Tobio-chan! This is how this works: I, your generous senpai, will buy you dinner, and you can pay me back later," says Oikawa.

Kageyama stares at him. He's still a little bit lost. Trying to get some kind of reaction, Oikawa adds, "Of course I'll be charging interest and from now on you must always address me as Oikawa-senpai."

As expected, Kageyama snaps out of his spaciness enough to scowl and reply, "I am not calling you senpai."

Inwardly, Oikawa's pleased he got Kageyama somewhat functioning. Outwardly, he fakes a pout and puts on a show of hurt emotions. He picks up a menu. He's been here enough times to know exactly what he wants, but it's dawning on him that he's currently sitting at a restaurant with Tobio, his volleyball nemesis. He's not sure where to look, what to say, what to do with his hands, which are suddenly awkwardly big and clumsy, and sweating profusely.

The realization hits him like a truck. Oikawa Tooru invited Kageyama Tobio on a dinner date. _Not a dinner date. This is simply a feed poor sad Tobio-chan so that he doesn't starve to death so I can crush him next time they face each other on the court. That's it. Nothing more._

He glances at the object of his thoughts, who looks as uncomfortable and Oikawa feels. Kageyama looks up, catching his eye.

"I'm not very hungry," he mumbles.

Oikawa stares in disbelief. "Bullshit!" he blurts.

"I don't have any money."

_Ah so that's the issue._ Oikawa waves a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. I have plenty of money to spend on my irresponsible kouhai. Order whatever you want."

Tobio glares at the insult, but Oikawa can also see a gleam of happiness grow in Tobio's eyes as he reads the menu.

"I'll get something just to spite you." he says, making Oikawa celebrate internally.

Oikawa thinks back to a few years ago, when he thought Kageyama wasn't capable of happiness. Now though, he can see hundreds of tiny expressions taking over Tobio's face. He finds himself staring, his menu forgotten. He can tell when Tobio finds something he likes, and when he passes over foods he hates. _How adorable!_

_  
_

_No! Not adorable! It's...weird. Ya, Tobio-chan is weird._

Tobio looks up from the menu and notices Oikawa staring at him. "Um Oikawa-san? Are you ok?"

Oikawa startles, "I'm fine!" He takes a second to calm himself before continuing, "What could be wrong with me? I'm being completely normal." He giggles nervously. "I was just waiting for your slow self to pick something!"

"Oh," says Tobio, somewhat oblivious to the nervousness Oikawa exudes. "I didn't know you were done. I'll pick something right away!"

Once Oikawa stops awkwardly staring at his young rival and Kageyama relaxes a bit, dinner is actually enjoyable. Apparently Kageyama isn't just a volleyball nut. They talk about movies and comics, arguing over their favourite characters, but the usual insults and hurtful comments evolve into playful banter. Oikawa even gets pouty little Tobio-chan to laugh.  
_____________________________________________

Oikawa walks Kageyama home. They stop in front of the darkened house. It looks cold and lonely, and suddenly, Oikawa wants to take Tobio with him back to his apartment. Tobio pulls his keys out of his pocket to unlock the door.

"Wait," Oikawa grabs the younger boy's arm. "Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?"

Tobio looks slightly confused. "Yes. I've stayed by myself many times before. My mom'll be home tomorrow anyway."

Not wanting to appear overly concerned _(since when do I care about my stupidly adorable kouhai?)_ , Oikawa relents, "Ok. Whatever you want, Tobio-chan."

He pauses, thinking about lifeless Tobio, fainting from starvation. _I can't let that happen again. Ever._ He grabs Tobio's shoulders, spinning him so they're face to face. He stares into Tobio's eyes, his expression completely serious, hoping his message will be clearly transmitted.

"Whenever you need anything, I don't care when or what, you let me know. If you need food, you tell me. No more starving till you drop. Do you have my number?" Oikawa grabs the phone out of Kageyama's pocket. He adds his number and sends himself a message. "There. Now whenever you need help, text me."

Tobio looks at him, confused, but Oikawa can see gratitude hidden in those blue eyes. "Thank you, Oikawa-san."

"Anytime," he replies, ruffling his hair. "Goodnight Tobio-chan!"

Tobio turns and unlocks the door. "Goodnight," he mumbles, before disappearing inside.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some implied child abuse here so please be careful about that. 
> 
> Also I'm so sorry for the long delay. I'm having a lot of trouble with writers block and the plan I had wasn't really moving the story along so I'm kinda just moving along blindly now. I'm not gonna make any promises about when the next chapter will be done but I have made a little progress on it. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's actually stuck around and continued to read this story!

Kageyama had a surprisingly good time with Oikawa. Somehow they had managed to have a real conversation without getting hostile. For once, Kagayama experienced the charming, nice Oikawa that he had caught glimpses of over the years, but had never had it directed at him. For a second, Kageyama imagines how different his life would have been if Oikawa had treated him like that in middle school. _Could that whole incident in middle school have been avoided?_ Had someone told a thirteen year old Kageyama that he would one day be tutored by Oikawa and that they could actually have a civil conversation, he would have scoffed. He might even be looking forward to their next meeting. A small smile creeps onto his face.

As soon as Kageyama steps inside, his stomach drops. There's a black suitcase beside the door. _Shit, why is she home already?_ His heart starts racing. She would have noticed he was gone right away, though he should have been studying. _She’s going to kill me. Why didn't she phone? Was she too mad to even phone me?_ He takes a deep breath to steel himself, then walks into the kitchen. —————————————————————— Oikawa walks back towards the train station. He's not sure why, but somehow he didn't mind being in Tobio's company. Apparently Tobio is more than a dumb socially-awkward volleyball tyrant. Who knew? He could almost say he enjoyed himself. Has Tobio actually grown up since middle school, or is Oikawa just crazy? Maybe there’s a chance they could start over? Strangest of all, Oikawa doesn’t mind that thought at all. —————————————————————— Kageyama freezes. A pair of cold blue eyes lock onto him. His breath hitches, and he stares back, not sure what to do. His thoughts are racing through his brain too fast for him to understand. Vaguely, he realises that his breathing has become erratic, impossible to control. His mouth opens; he grasps for words. Nothing comes out.

“So this is what you’ve grown into? Rather disappointing, isn’t it?”

His father stands from the table, examining his son with a critical eye. As he slowly walks over, Tobio clenches his fists and manages a “Hello, Otoosan.”

“Hmm, you do talk,” the elder Kageyama remarks, placing a hand on Tobio's shoulder. “I remember how hard that used to be for you.”

Tobio tenses at the contact; his father's breath smells of alcohol. It smells familiar. He's always hated it.

“Where's your mother? I thought she was supposed to be here by now. Unless you've driven her away too.”

Tobio frowns, “She's back tomorrow.”

“Hmm…” His father studies him, staring at him like he can read Tobio’s mind. Tobio can't bring himself to stare back. He tries to shift away from the hand still resting on his shoulder, but the grip tightens, pining him in place.

“Where were you? I thought you were busy studying.”

_I could ask you the same thing about the past few years._ Instead of voicing that thought, Tobio mumbles, “Out.”

“Hmm. Out?” His fingers dig into Tobio's shoulder. “Doing what?”

“I was eating with a…” He hesitates, not knowing what to call Oikawa. “With a friend,” he settles on.

“A friend? I wasn't aware you had any. A strange concept, wouldn't you say?”

In response, Tobio looks down, his frown deepening. Time had done nothing to soften the hostility between the two. Tobio feels like he's nine years old again. Memories of harsh words and small bruises flash through his mind. His eyes sting a bit, and he blinks hard as the fingers remain latched onto him. There'll be a bruise there tomorrow. His father means business and he wants his message made clear. There's no question who's in charge now.

“Well you can bring my suitcase upstairs, and then study in your room.” _Get lost, I don't want to deal with you right now._

Tobio drags the suitcase upstairs, then sits in his room, tossing to himself. Despite his attempts to clear his mind, his thoughts race through his brain. He has no idea why his father suddenly reappeared. Though he’s grown since middle school, Kageyama isn't confident he finally has the courage to stand up to his father. All he can do is hope it doesn't turn as disastrous as it was before his dad left. 


End file.
